Knockmoyle Sheskin (Irish: An Cnoc Maol agus An Seisceann)[2][3] also known as Knockmoyle/Sheskin or Knockmoyle and Sheskin is an intact Atlantic blanket bog, national nature reserve and Ramsar site of approximately 2,960 acres (12.0 km2) in County Mayo.

Knockmoyle Sheskin
LocationCounty Mayo, Ireland
Coordinates54°10′48″N 9°33′04″W / 54.18°N 9.551°W / 54.18; -9.551
Area2,960 acres (12.0 km2)
Governing bodyNational Parks and Wildlife Service
Official nameKnockmoyle/Sheskin
Designated1 June 1987
Reference no.372[1]

Features

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Knockmoyle Sheskin was legally protected as a national nature reserve by the Irish government in 1986.[4] In 1987, the site was also declared Ramsar site number 372.[1]

The reserve is a lowland blanket bog, an intact Atlantic blanket bog,[5] with a high density of pools which contain interesting flushes,[6] with some forming small acidic lakes. The site has a rich flora owing to the lack of burning or grazing, with well developed cover planting. An unusual feature of the site is small areas of Betula pubescens, and Homalothecium nitens, a rare moss.[1] Other species recorded there include black bog rush, bog cotton, deer sedge, purple moor grass,[5] marsh saxifrage, wild angelica, and marsh arrowgrass.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Knockmoyle/Sheskin". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  2. ^ "An Cnoc Maol/Knockmoyle". Logainm.ie. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  3. ^ "An Seisceann/Sheskin". Logainm.ie. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  4. ^ "S.I. No. 415/1986 - Nature Reserve (Knockmoyle/Sheskin) Establishment Order, 1986". Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b "CarbonRestore". www.ucd.ie. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Knockmoyle Sheskin Nature Reserve". National Parks & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  7. ^ Mulvihill, Mary (2002). Ingenious Ireland : a county-by-county exploration of Irish mysteries and marvels. Dublin: TownHouse & CountryHouse Ltd. p. 301. ISBN 0684020947.